Minutes to Midnight
by ShadowedRainbow
Summary: First ever song fic of a sort. One of the Avengers is dying. Who is it? How did it happen? How will the team handle it? And wth was I thinking?
1. Chapter 1

Minutes To Midnight

Chapter One: Shadow of the Day

**_*Note from Shado: Ok this one came to me and just won't leave me alone. I have a massively huge plot bunny sitting on my head and it refuses to let the muses talk until it's done with me. So, I apologize for making you all wait on the other fics I've got going. Bear with me while I appease this monster. I'm not sure where or what he's planning to do with this… I'm just his slave until he's finished. This was written listening to the album Minutes to Midnight by LinkinPark. I've often thought this album needed a story to go with it… evidently the Plot Bunny from Hell agrees. The lyrics and songs are not in order, as this progresses you'll see why. Each song is for a specific character.*_**

_*****the lyrics have been removed per the request of catspats31- sorry guys.*****_

The room was disgustingly cheerful. Flowers lined the available surfaces, cards interspersed among the bouquets, and there were even a few stuffed toys. He hated everything they represented, but didn't have the heart to remove them. They provided some comfort of color amidst the sterility of white. He loathed everything this room represented with every fiber of his being. But what he hated most was the insistent ever present beeping and hisses of the ventilator. In the long hours of the night, the sounds reminded him of his failures with every blip and hiss. The machines mocked him; counted his failure out with unmerciful precision. Even as he hated them, he feared the silence that was coming; the inevitable ending to the life they kept tethered.

He had tried everything he knew; every bit of science he could manipulate; every rumor, hint and a few rather…eccentric ideas. It had not been enough. No one blamed him; yet he could not escape blaming himself. So, now he sat, keeping vigil, doing his penance for not being _good enough;_ for not being _smart enough._ Subdued, head bowed by guilt, he tuned out the world; listening only to the silent accusation from the dying. At some point he slept.

The bright sunlight was an insult. There was no denying that. Irritated he stood stiffly, crossing to the dual windows situated over the small heating unit. From the halls outside, the distant voices of staff going about their daily routines was also irritating. He could hear them talking, voices bright and cheerful and all he wanted to do was snarl and put an end to them. Someone, somewhere laughed, and for an instant he visualized crushing the life out of whomever dared. He squashed the urge with ease though; long years of practice made it easy enough.

For a moment, he stared out the window, seeing the bright blue of the cloudless sky, the newly budding trees with their promise of spring. The lawn in front of the facility bustled with activity, mirroring the interior's halls; as people walked to and fro. A bird flew past and his eyes tracked it, without really seeing. His anger sparked again; at the sight of such _life_ outside these four walls. Reaching out, he twisted the blinds closed; shutting out the world and its brightness.

His shoes squeaked on the tile as he crossed back to his chair. He settled into it with a heaviness that was beyond the physical. His hand closed gently over the one lying so still on the bed. The hiss and bleeps of the monitors telling him that nothing had changed in his few minutes of inattention, a small comfort. The machines, with all their attached tubing and leads, were only prolonging the inevitable, he knew this. Yet in his heart, hope still festered; a slow poison for which there was no antidote.

The sound of the door opening, the soft tread of the day shift nurse coming in, didn't distract him from his vigil. She smiled wanly at him, reaching for the chart on the table. He didn't return her smile; there was no need. He knew what her checks would show. She finished her job, the scratching of the pen against paper writing down words; the words that would make the doctors press once again to discontinue life support. Words that he would fight tooth and nail against with everything that he was.

He stared at the face, once vibrant with life, now a pallid imitation. He ignored the wasted body, seeing only the smile that could light a room. His mind, calmed for now, flew backward in time, to when this all began…

*****Can you guess who? Two guesses. And who's in the bed? For that you get several guesses...lol... Don't blame me, blame TPBFM. So, should I continue? Let me know. Shado.*****


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: What I've Done**

**_**A note from Shado. Well well, looks like three are at least interested enough for me to continue. Half cookies and a piece of fudge go out to Pheonixfeather98 and Natsuki Nightfall for correctly guessing *part*, but only part of who was who in the last chapter. Don't count on the character list in the summary, it only allowed for four characters to be listed… trust me ALL the avengers will be making themselves known before this is over._**

**_Chapter One: Bruce's POV _**

**_The Dying: ?**_**

"Quiet night," the Cap's soft voice interrupted the silence. Tony grunted from his place on the sofa, ice bag still clutched to his head two days after being thrown into a building by Doom's little toy. A shrug was Clint's contribution, while Bruce merely smiled. Tasha frowned, quiet nights were never good things.

Clint, using his "freaky mental powers"- Tony's words; handed her the cleaning rag for her gun. She took it and began to polish the barrel. On table in front of them were their toys; Clint's arrows, Widow's Bites, bullets, her knives, his bows… all receiving their nightly maintenance.

Cap let the silence return, broken only by the scritch of his pencil as he drew and the occasional sound of a page turning from Bruce. In his mind, nights like this were to be cherished; infrequent bits of peace that gave them all much needed respite. Even Tony's bots seemed to be enjoying the quiet; he hadn't seen them all day.

Tony groaned again, the sound bringing Bruce to his feet. The tall, quiet scientist moved to Tony's side. "Still hurting?" Bruce asked softly. Tony rolled his eyes in exasperation. "On a scale of one to ten? Be honest, Tony."

"Nine." Tony replied, knowing better than to lie. Bruce lifted the ice bag aside, probing gently at the massive bruise spread across half of Tony's face and forehead. Tony flinched in reflex.

"Well the swelling is better, if that's any comfort." Bruce said. He half turned to Natasha. "Nat, can you get him a cool glass of water, I'll get the meds."

"Sure thing, Bruce," she said, standing swiftly. She took a glass from the cupboard, filling it from the jug kept in the fridge. It was then, that it happened. Such a small thing, inconsequential really, something she easily dismissed; her concern on her teammate under Bruce's care.

_Fingers suddenly nerveless lost the grasp of the item they held and it fell, glittering to the floor._

Clint cussed softly as the arrow hit the carpet. He sucked the tip of his finger into his mouth.

"Clint?" Cap asked.

"I'm ok, just nicked myself on the head; stupid noob mistake." Clint grinned widely, showing the injury to them all. Cap leaned over, picking the arrow up and handing it back to the archer.

Natasha set the glass on the table next to Tony with a tight smile. "I think we should all call it a night," she suggested tapping Clint's shoulder. "We're still pretty wasted."

"I agree," Cap said closing his sketch pad and tucking it under his arm. "Let Tony get some rest; I'll see you all in the morning."

"Mind if I walk with you?" Natasha asked. He paused for a moment, head cocked considering. "There's something I want to say," she whispered for his ears alone.

"Sure." He said. She fell into step at his side as they headed to the elevator to their respective floors. She stayed silent until the doors closed, waiting for some privacy.

"I just wanted to say, Cap," she continued softly. "Thank you."

He frowned completely confused by her words. "For what?"

"For giving me a chance," she replied. "Not many would, considering my background."

"What does that have to do with it?"

"There's a lot of red in my ledger…"

"Natasha-Nat," he paused. "I can't say that it doesn't matter, it does. But what you choose to do with your skill, that's what matters. And I think you are trying very hard to overcome the past."

She nodded eyes staring into space. "Still, thank you."

He smiled slightly. "You're welcome." The ding of the door opening on his floor forestalled any other conversation. "Good night, Natasha. Sleep well."

"Good night, Cap. You too." She answered as the door closed behind him.

_****What item fell? Who was holding it?****_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Bleed It Out

**_**A Note from Shado. Oh, wow! You guys are great and make me blush with your praise! To: Jimenush and Clarity, (giggles) you guys are just going to have to keep reading, cause I'm not saying another word about who's who… though if you follow the bread crumbs you can figure it out. To: Jensmit75, welcome to the Chaos! Hope I don't disappoint. Well, no one figured out what was dropped or who dropped it: seriously do you guys think I'd ruin the mystery so easily?_**

**_This is actually a lot harder than I thought it would be; figuring out which song goes with whom, then trying to figure out the bread crumb trail to keep the mystery alive? But I'm having a ton of fun with it!_**

**_Chapter Two: Natasha 'What I've done'_**

**_Item dropped: undiscovered_**

**_Who dropped it: undiscovered_*********

It was two months later when someone finally noticed that something was wrong. The team was, as usual, neck deep in bad guys. For once it wasn't Doom and his little toys; this time it was just a generic moron with visions of grandeur. At least that's what Tony called him; to Fury it was enough of a threat to life and limb that he felt the Avengers were called for. Not that it mattered; all that mattered was that he be stopped before more people were injured.

It was the Cap who noticed the wrongness. Missed targets and slow reaction times; things his team were not known for. As he dodged another group of the odd cyborg-like attack dogs, his worry grew. This was _not _normal. After the last dog was dispatched and the last of the civilians accounted for, he tapped his com; signaling Bruce.

"Bruce?" he asked softly. "I need to speak with you."

"Sure thing Cap, what's up?" Bruce replied, his voice a little preoccupied.

"Not now, privately."

"Aw, Spangles, you don't wanna share?" Tony interrupted.

"Not now Stark," he said exasperated. Tony had been keeping a running commentary on everything since they'd hit the ground.

"Fine. Far be it from me to crash your little love fest. Something you wanna tell us, there Brucey? I'm not the jealous type ya know. I will share."

"Geez, Tony, thanks for that visual." Clint groaned as he rappelled down from his perch.

"Anytime, Feathers. You're more than welcome to join in…"

"Only if I can watch," Natasha interrupted. "But I happen to know Clint doesn't like an audience."

"You don't say?" Tony landed next to her flipping his visor open. "And care to share how you know that?" She just smirked at him.

Bruce waited until they were in the jet, Tony distracted by Natasha's comment, desperately trying to get her to divulge the root of her knowledge. Clint was piloting the jet, and while normally Tony would just use the suit, Natasha had succeeded in keeping him with them for the debrief.

"What did you want to talk to me about, Steve?"

"I think there's something wrong with-"

_****** And I'm an evil evil person, aren't I? No questions for you guys to try to answer this time. Kinda hard to put a bread crumb or three in here without giving away the whole story. So, in recompense… I'll post another chapter right after this one. So you get a twofer.******_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: In Pieces**

**_*** A Note from Shado. Uh oh, I guess I should be a warning here, believe me this was NOT what I intended when I started this… but the Evil Plot Bunny from Hell has decreed a pairing must be present. So, if you all don't like those, then I suggest you stop reading here. But on the upside? It adds another layer of mystery… cause now you gotta guess who the pair is! Lol.***_**

It was easy enough to run the tests. The team was up for physicals anyway; and since Bruce was their "doctor" he just added an extra blood draw to the usual range. When the first test came back positive, he ran it again. And again. By the fourth time, with the same result, there was no doubt left. He dropped his head, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers. With a heavy sigh, he stood, picking up the sheaf of test results. This was not going to be easy, he knew. But it had to be done. He headed up from the lab, to the main part of the house. _Might as well get this over with,_ he thought.

He knew where they were of course; both had made their intention of a little private time well known. It was rather cute, and heartwarming, the devotion they shared. He really didn't want to do this; not now and most certainly not to them. Yet they both needed to know. He'd leave informing everyone else to them. He knocked discreetly on the door.

"I've got the results back," he said without preamble when the door opened.

"And?"

"We need to talk." He said softly.

After Bruce had left, they sat on the edge of the bed stiffly without looking at each other. Neither spoke for the longest time, not knowing what to say.

"You knew."

"No."

"Don't lie to me. He said it's been going on for a long time."

"I swear I didn't. I thought it was just stress; we've been on alert for months now…"

"Don't touch me. You lied to me when you said you were all right!"

"Where are you going?"

"Out. I can't be here right now."

_**** O.o a lover's spat? Wow. What a bitch! Leave your lover after finding out that there's something wrong? Gee... how... considerate.*****_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: Leave Out All the Rest

_*****A Note from Shado. You guys are wonderful! I cannot say thank you enough for all the kind words and followers! I have been having so much fun writing this that I'm going to miss it when it comes to the eventual end. A warm welcome to See Me As I Am 101! Glad you jumped on the ride with the rest of us. I do need to give you all a warning: this is my weekend to work doubles, so I won't be able to post again until Monday, unless I get really really lucky. So, I'm going to put two, hopefully three chapters up tonight (if TPBFH allows me to). Now for the story alerts: MAJOR BREAD CRUMBS HERE! Keep your eyes peeled and your mind open; cause if you pay attention, you might just be able to figure out WHO our Avenger in Peril is. And now… off to write the next installments!*****_

The paper on the desk mocked with its blankness. The pen next to it entered into the game, laughing along. The words refused to come; the mind overpowered by the new reality it was experiencing. The paper needed to be filled, this was certain. Time was short, far shorter than any of them had realized. Yet, there it lay; still blank. Intellect warred with heart, losing miserably. Tears fell to mar the perfect white sheet. _Fitting_, came the lone thought. Finally the mind kicked into gear allowing the heart to write words full of pain, anguish and love that the mouth could never utter.

_My Love,_

_I've never been good with words; you know that. But I'm going to try. I'm going to try to tell you how much you mean to me. And how sorry I am for what is coming. I've done my best to never lie to you… When I said that I'd love you forever, I meant it. I still do. I'm just sorry that forever came with a time limit._

_I wanted nothing more than to wake up every morning to your face, to see you smile in the early morning light until we were old and grey. When I say that you are the best part of me; please believe me. You are everything that is good and wonderful in this crazy messed up world of ours._

_You took me, broken and bleeding on the inside, and believed in me when I didn't believe in myself. You gave me the strength and love to become the person I am. It was because of your unshaken faith and love that I have managed to continue to grow. What words can say thank you for that?_

_Love, you have done so much for me and asked nothing in return. Everyday you demonstrate your unselfishness in a thousand tiny ways; ways that not everyone notices. It's those small things that make you so very special. From the way you fix Bruce his favorite tea, to the box of hidden chocolates for 'that time of the month'. _

_When my time comes, I'll leave this Earth with a thousand regrets. But among those regrets, my love for you is not one of them. The day you finally cornered me and told me that you loved me… that was the best day of my life. Yes, it has been hard; a balancing act between my worry over you and SHIELD; but it's a balancing act that I undertook joyfully. For how could I not love you in return? _

_My dearest, I don't want to say goodbye. I don't want to see the pain in your eyes and know that I put it there. I'm being selfish in this; I want to see your eyes smiling always; never filled with tears. But Love, grieve. Cry, scream, wail, blow something up. Don't retreat into the shell that you wore for so long. Please don't pretend it doesn't hurt. Don't lie to yourself. Can you do that for me, Beloved? Can you grieve? Let the others help you… please don't close yourself off._

_Just remember__** me**__, when I'm gone. Remember all the good and the bad; we've been through so much together. Remember the love we've shared and let it help you to heal. I'm counting on you to remember __**who**_ _I am. Wherever I go, be it to Valhalla, Heaven, Hell… I'll be watching over you. I'll be waiting for you. (Just make sure I wait a long long time, alright?)_

_I love you. I think I always have. And I know I always will._

_*****Tissues are in the box next to your computers, people. Question for you guys: are you actually listening to the songs? You can find them online. Just curious, lol.*****_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six: In Between

_*****A Note from Shado. Well, I don't know if you all have it figured out from that last post or not… I'm hoping not. This is another one full of bread crumbs for you to parse out and paste into the puzzle. It's also mainly dialog, since descriptors would give everything away. Without further ado, I give you In Between.*****_

"I've never been good at apologies."

"I know."

"Forgive me?"

"Yes." Silence. In the dark, hands met and held.

"I'm scared."

"Yeah, me too."

"We'll have to tell the others."

"I know. But…"

"Not yet?"

"I'm not sure what to tell them."

"The truth." An inelegant snort followed that remark. Both chuckled.

"That'll be something new."

"Can we not talk about this right now?"

"We'll have to talk about it sometime."

"I'd rather… just pretend that everything is all right. Just for now."

"Ok."… "But…"

"Tomorrow, ok?"

"Tomorrow is good. We can do tomorrow." Neither acknowledged that their tomorrows were now finitely shorter.


	7. Chapter 7,8 & 9

_*****A Note from Shado. Lol. So I told you all I was working doubles this weekend and wouldn't be able to post until Monday… well here I am at work writing this up on a roll of paper towels cause it won't leave me alone and I felt bad about leaving you all hanging for the weekend. So, I'll upload the "scroll" and give you all a fix when I get home. This is a multi-chapter posting just to save me a little time this morning.*****_

Chapter Seven: Little Things Give You Away

This was not going well, Bruce decided. Director Fury was glaring at them all but primarily at the Cap and himself. The glares he could understand- after all Cap had been the one to break the bad news; and he supposed he earned his glare by not being able to "fix the problem". But seriously, where did Fury get off on the accusatory tones?

"And you're certain, Dr. Banner, that there's nothing you can do?" Fury asked yet again.

Bruce felt the Big Guy stir in the back of his mind. Taking a deep breath, he shoved the Hulk back into his cage. "As certain as I can be barring a miracle," he replied.

"Well, this is a damn mess," Fury snapped slapping his palms on the top of the table. He turned his face to the Captain. "And you all decided…"

"Off the team, Sir," Cap said firmly. "We've all agreed it's for the best."

"Well, I haven't agreed…"

"Begging your pardon, Director," Steve pulled himself to his full height. "That's not your call to make."

"Excuse me?" Fury spat. Tony shifted in his seat, a smirk forming on his face. Nat and Clint shared a telling glance; and Bruce wished that he were anywhere but here. No one had ever seen Fury quite so… livid.

Steve stared into Fury's face. "I said, Sir, that the decision is not your call to make. I am team leader here. And since it's the Team's safety at risk…" Steve stopped briefly, the words burning like bitter gall in his throat. "From now on, the Avengers will be down a teammate."

Tony squirmed in his seat, interrupting the coming conflagration with ease. "I suggest we start looking for a replacement. I understand Peter Parker is available…. Oooo or Wolverine! I'd give anything to see him and Thor go a few rounds…"

"Two words, Tony," Clint joined in. "Yellow. Spandex." He twirled his finger for emphasis. Tony grimaced.

"Ok, then Parker it is."

Fury and Steve ignored them completely, locked in a staring match. Finally Fury dropped his gaze. "We'll discuss this later, Rogers." He snarled.

"No, sir, no we won't." Steve said softly as Fury stalked out.

"Well, that went-" Bruce said.

"About as we expected." Tony finished.

**Chapter Eight: No More Sorrow**

They got away with it for a time; but luck, it seemed, was a fickle mistress. Soon the public began to notice the change. At first, it was just a side bar, a tiny line in the news whenever they were called out. But that was enough. Rumors begaon to fly' speculations ran rampant. As with all rumors, they grew until there was a veritable firestorm; all fanned by the public outcry of "Where is the missing Avenger?" The rumors and speculation did nothing to stem Fury's ire. Daily demands for information were made to the Tower; Bruce receiving the brunt of Fury's anger.

It also didn't help that the steady physical decline of the missing teammate made any action impossible. It galled him to think that Rogers had made the right call to begin with. So, he did his best to stop the rumors, using SHIELD's resources to "invent" missions that would require the special skills of the now "retired" Avenger. Even that, though wasn't enough; and it wasn't too much longer that he was summoned to face the WSC. (He was just surprised it took them this long to demand an accounting.)

He stood there, in front of the view screens filled by the silhouettes of the Council, listening to the President sputter on about "unacceptable this" and "irresponsible that"- his mind clicking through damage control responses. When, suddenly, like a light turned on in a darkened room; he finally understood everything. He thought about everything his friend had accomplished since the team had been put together. All the deeds, the injuries, the sacrifices… and he understood. He glanced pointedly at his watch, making no bones about his sudden desire to be elsewhere.

"Am I boring you, Director?" The President snarked at him.

"Actually, yes, you are." He said with uncharacteristic honesty. "Madame President, members of the Council, my answer is no. No, I will not divulge any more information on this matter to the public. No I will not force my friend to submit to medical personnel for further testing and experimental treatments. If Dr. Banner is unable to find a cure, then- no one can." He stood straight and tall, gathering his trench about him like armor. "Now, if you don't mind. I'm done here."

"You are done when we say you are, Fury!" the President snarled. "If you continue to refuse…"

"What will you do? Fire me? I resign. Throw me in jail? That's good too, I could use a vacation. Whatever. I really don't care." He turned toward the door. "I'm leaving. My friend is dying and I'd like to spend what little time we have left anywhere but here."

As the door shut behind him, he could still here the Council's outraged mumbling and he smiled, for the first time ever, in complete satisfaction.

**Chapter Nine: Given Up**

_*****Ok this is a weird chapter, because as I was getting ready to write it, I had the vision of our couple staring at each other in a totally silent communication. Actually they were screaming at each other without saying a word. Terminal illness can put one hell of a strain on a couple, even ones as close as our two are… the love begins to unravel under the guilt and fear and communication breaks down. What I was envisioning is the stanzas of this song, being screamed in their minds as pleas for help and forgiveness…. Weird huh?*****_

They stared at each other from across the room. Time was running out for them. No answers could be found; there would be no miracle cure, no last minute rescue. Both felt the burden of the knowledge like a crushing weight, strangling words, and burying emotion until only guilt and pain remained. Trapped by those two emotions, they turned away from each other.

_***Yeah I know, crappy chapter, but hey, I did my best considering all I could see and hear for this song was them screaming the lines at each other. On the upside? Only two more chapters left until the end. Then I'll post a Reprise to fill in all the blanks, so you know who, what, how and why…. That will be the first song on the album called Wake. So, dear readers, this should be wrapping up tonight- as long as I can get the free time at work to write. Shado.***_


	8. Chapter Ten

**_**I'm writing furiously to get this posted before I have to head to work. The multi-chapter posting has royally screwed up the site's chapter listings, but at least its all there. Ok...so here it is... the reveal. I couldn't come up with a decent character scene to go with these lyrics no matter how hard I tried; the best I could do was the evening news, since that's what this seems to represent the most. Don't hate me please? I promise I'll explain what happened in the reprise... I think it was See Me as I Am 101 who tends to take off points for certain things... well, honey, this isn't exactly the same thing as you have listed on your page. Just watch and see when you get the Reprise: Wake. And yes, there is still one more chapter before I explain all. Shado.** _**

Chapter Ten: Hands Held High

The nightly news droned in the background; volume lowered. He could catch words here and there and occasionally, his eyes would drift from the monitors to the screen. The scenes running were the same ones as yesterday, and the day before… just the places were different and the names. Politicians making promises they had no intention of keeping; citizens killing other citizens for whatever reason they felt justified it and oh look, another street riot somewhere. Disgustingly depressing, it seemed that the world would never learn.

The heart monitor stuttered; its rhythm disrupted and his attention shifted once more to the bed. He wasn't alone in his vigil this time. Avengers were draped on every available chair, Fury lurked in a corner and even Thor was here. Heimdall had sent the Thunder God over the BiFrost for this night. Out in the corridors, he could hear the SHIELD agents moving; holding vigil as well.

If any of them cared to look out the windows of StarkTower and to the streets far below, they would see the masses clustered, candles throwing sparks of light against the darkened streets. People waited, praying, singing soft hymns, trying in their own ways to share in the grief that held the Tower in its hands. But none of them cared that much any more. Their focus was on the bed… on the person who was leaving them.

The monitor stuttered again and everyone flinched. The pulse it timed, slowed, faltered… the ragged breathing grew fainter and fainter… until…

"Breaking news. This just in from Manhattan where our reporter, Sandra Kelly is live on the scene of the vigil in front of Stark Tower. We take you live to that scene…"

"Thank you, Jim. I'm Sandra Kelly, reporting live here at the base of Stark Tower, where thousands of people are gathered to hold a vigil to honor one of the Avengers. As you can see, Stark Tower usually lit like a Christmas tree is dark. The lights went out a few minutes ago, just before midnight. There's no word on what is happening inside the Tower but speculation and rumor has it…" There was a movement behind her and the crowd gasped drawing her attention away. "It seems someone is emerging from the Tower."

The reporters gathered flocked closer, pushing their mikes and cameras through the crowd. Director Nick Fury stood there, framed by the doors of the Tower. Only the light of the vigil candles flickered on his face.

"Director Fury!" the calls started, questions flying fast and furious. He just stood there, face blank, shoulders clenched. Until finally, silence reigned.

"Th-thank you," His voice was thin, strained. "Twenty minutes ago…" he halted, clearing his throat, "Twenty minutes ago…" His voice trailed off and he just stood there staring at the masses. People exchanged glances, whispers… but none dared to speak.

Maria Hill gently moved Fury away from the microphone. "Twenty minutes ago, we lost one of our own. To honor his passing, we ask that you save your questions and broadcast the universal code for a fallen comrade. Captain America is down, repeat… Captain America is down."


	9. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven: Valentine's Day

**_*** So do you all hate me? If so then I've done my job well…this is the final chapter and song before the reprise Wake. I dedicate this song and chapter to my own lost love, who passed away May 9, 2009. Every time I hear it, I remember and it as if … well… I'm sure you all can understand.***_**

Snow crunched under his footsteps, a few birds flew past to land in the bare trees lining the cemetery. The path he followed wasn't well cared for, neither was the cemetery. It was a small parish lot attached to an even smaller Brooklyn church. Not many people visited here; unlike Arlington, where thousands upon thousands went to _that_ grave daily. There they came to lay flowers, light candles and generally make themselves feel better that they _honored_ Captain America.

Here though, the grave of Steve Rogers didn't receive visitors. No one knew that the small headstone, with its weeping angel, was the marker for the real Captain America. Small, nondescript, unprepossessing… more like Steve than the Captain. Tony had fought long and hard for that… but it was Fury who made it happen.

It was Fury who arranged for the empty coffin at Arlington and Fury who purged all references to Steve Rogers and his Brooklyn background from the files. And SHIELD followed Fury's lead. The agents went to Arlington to keep up the charade, once a year on the date of his passing. But the Avengers? They came here.

Bruce halted at the foot of the grave, shifting his bag to a more comfortable position. He stuffed his hands in his pockets away from the chill air and hung his head. Gathering his thoughts he finally spoke.

"Hey, Steve," he whispered eyes on the headstone. "Sorry I haven't been here for a while…but, its hard. Harder than you think. We miss you. Every day. But I think you know that don't you?"

"I've come to apologize Steve. And to tell you, I found it… I never gave up." He felt something inside him shift, the Hulk stirring; but it was a _gentle, sad_ stirring… no longer the raging monster. "I haven't told anyone, like I promised. I used it, erased all the data and destroyed the serum."

"I'm sorry Steve, sorry that I couldn't hold the team together. Sorry I failed and didn't find the problem in time… but mainly," he wiped his face. "I'm sorry I couldn't keep Tony… from…" he glanced at the other headstone. "Yeah… sorry don't mean shit does it?"

"I don't know where Clint is, he just…disappeared one day. I think maybe he went back to his old life. And Nat? well she's still with SHIELD, I think, I hope. Fury stepped down as SHIELD director about six months ago, I haven't seen him since. Thor is doing as well as he can with all the problems in Asgard. And me? I just came to tell you that I'm moving on. Going to go back to Calcutta for a bit. Don't worry though, Hulk and I will be just fine." He finished his dialogue and waited, listening to the wind rustling in the stark winter branches.

He reached out to brush a bit of snow off both headstones. "Goodbye, Steve. Tony. You boys take care and I'll see you around."

**_**Go ahead, hate me… you know you want to.**_**


	10. A Note From Shado

Sorry guys but I had a minor injury at work Monday night. I've some how managed to twist my knee all to hades and back. It's kind of interfering with my ability to stay awake, thanks to the muscle relaxers and pain killer. :( I am working on the Reprise that I promised, explaining exactly what killed Steve and what happened to Tony. Since I had to remove the lyrics, per site rules... I'll also include a link to them for new readers. In the meantime, you all can find the lyrics online as well as the songs. Just google Minutes to Midnight by Linkin Park. I will let you know that there will be a surprise guest appearance by someone in the Reprise... he just kinda wandered in and made himself known as I was talking with the Plot Bunny on Monday. I want to say thank you to everyone for reading this little drama of mine. I hope I didn't and don't disappoint with it and the reprise. Hoping to get the Reprise finished either today or tomorrow if I can.

Shado.


	11. Chapter 12

Reprise

**Coda One**

****Here it is at last. I debated long and hard about how to post this, since its basically the same story only with "added" scenes. So the new stuff is in bold... if you guys just wanna scan it for those fillers, please feel free. There's not really much that I added, since the bulk of the story was already told...just a few details and an explanation of what happened to Steve and Tony. Also there is a guest appearance at the end.****

The room was disgustingly cheerful. Flowers lined the available surfaces, cards interspersed among the bouquets, and there were even a few stuffed toys. He hated everything they represented, but didn't have the heart to remove them. They provided some comfort of color amidst the sterility of white. He loathed everything this room represented with every fiber of his being. But what he hated most was the insistent ever present beeping and hisses of the ventilator. In the long hours of the night, the sounds reminded him of his failures with every blip and hiss. The machines mocked him; counted his failure out with unmerciful precision. Even as he hated them, he feared the silence that was coming; the inevitable ending to the life they kept tethered.

He had tried everything he knew; every bit of science he could manipulate; every rumor, hint and a few rather…eccentric ideas. It had not been enough. No one blamed him; yet he could not escape blaming himself. So, now he sat, keeping vigil, doing his penance for not being _good enough;_ for not being _smart enough._ Subdued, head bowed by guilt, he tuned out the world; listening only to the silent accusation from the dying. At some point heslept.

The bright sunlight was an insult. There was no denying that. Irritated he stood stiffly, crossing to the dual windows situated over the small heating unit. From the halls outside, the distant voices of staff going about their daily routines was also irritating. He could hear them talking, voices bright and cheerful and all he wanted to do was snarl and put an end to them. Someone, somewhere laughed, and for an instant he visualized crushing the life out of whomever dared. He squashed the urge with ease though; long years of practice made it easy enough.

For a moment, he stared out the window, seeing the bright blue of the cloudless sky, the newly budding trees with their promise of spring. The lawn in front of the facility bustled with activity, mirroring the interior's halls; as people walked to and fro. **He could see Natasha talking with Clint, both keeping an eye on Tony as he ambled aimlessly around the courtyard. **A bird flew past and his eyes tracked it, without really seeing. His anger sparked again; at the sight of such _life_ outside these four walls. Reaching out, he twisted the blinds closed; shutting out the world and its brightness.

His shoes squeaked on the tile as he crossed back to his chair. He settled into it with a heaviness that was beyond the physical. His hand closed gently over the one lying so still on the bed. The hiss and bleeps of the monitors telling him that nothing had changed in his few minutes of inattention, a small comfort. The machines, with all their attached tubing and leads, were only prolonging the inevitable, he knew this. Yet in his heart, hope still festered; a slow poison for which there was no antidote. **He opened the tablet that never left his side, accessing the latest test results; to no avail.**

**"Jarvis, run them again." He said softly. "We've got to be missing something."**

**"Sir, we have run every known permutation…"**

**"Then try something unknown."**

**The AI remained silent for a minute then responded, "Yes, sir."**

The sound of the door opening, the soft tread of the day shift nurse coming in, didn't distract him from his vigil. She smiled wanly at him, reaching for the chart on the table. He didn't return her smile; there was no need. He knew what her checks would show. She finished her job, the scratching of the pen against paper writing down words; the words that would make the doctors press once again to discontinue life support. Words that he would fight tooth and nail against with everything that he was.

He stared at the face, once vibrant with life, now a pallid imitation. He ignored the wasted body, seeing only the smile that could light a room. His mind, calmed for now, flew backward in time, to when this all began…

**Coda Two**

"Quiet night," the Cap's soft voice interrupted the silence. Tony grunted from his place on the sofa, ice bag still clutched to his head two days after being thrown into a building by Doom's little toy. A shrug was Clint's contribution, while Bruce merely smiled. Tasha frowned, quiet nights were never good things.

Clint, using his "freaky mental powers"- Tony's words; handed her the cleaning rag for her gun. She took it and began to polish the barrel. On table in front of them were their toys; Clint's arrows, Widow's Bites, bullets, her knives, his bows… all receiving their nightly maintenance.

Cap let the silence return, broken only by the scritch of his pencil as he drew and the occasional sound of a page turning from Bruce. In his mind, nights like this were to be cherished; infrequent bits of peace that gave them all much needed respite. Even Tony's bots seemed to be enjoying the quiet; he hadn't seen them all day.

Tony groaned again, the sound bringing Bruce to his feet. The tall, quiet scientist moved to Tony's side. "Still hurting?" Bruce asked softly. Tony rolled his eyes in exasperation. "On a scale of one to ten? Be honest, Tony."

"Nine." Tony replied, knowing better than to lie. Bruce lifted the ice bag aside, probing gently at the massive bruise spread across half of Tony's face and forehead. Tony flinched in reflex.

"Well the swelling is better, if that's any comfort." Bruce said. He half turned to Natasha. "Nat, can you get him a cool glass of water, I'll get the meds."

"Sure thing, Bruce," she said, standing swiftly. She took a glass from the cupboard, filling it from the jug kept in the fridge. It was then, that it happened. Such a small thing, inconsequential really, something she easily dismissed; her concern on her teammate under Bruce's care.

**Fingers suddenly nerveless lost the grasp of the item they held and it fell, glittering to the floor. Steve frowned at the pencil as it hit the carpet and rolled under the edge of the sofa. He flexed his fingers until he could feel them again. The sound of Clint's softly voiced, "shit," caught his attention.**

Clint cussed softly as the arrow hit the carpet. He sucked the tip of his finger into his mouth.

"Clint?" Cap asked.

"I'm ok, just nicked myself on the head; stupid noob mistake." Clint grinned widely, showing the injury to them all. Cap leaned over, picking the arrow up and handing it back to the archer. **He scooped up his pencil and laid it on the table as well; his fingers still tingled and felt oddly numb.**

Natasha set the glass on the table next to Tony with a tight smile. "I think we should all call it a night," she suggested tapping Clint's shoulder. "We're still pretty wasted."

"I agree," Cap said closing his sketch pad and tucking it under his arm. "Let Tony get some rest; I'll see you all in the morning."

"Mind if I walk with you?" Natasha asked. He paused for a moment, head cocked considering. "There's something I want to say," she whispered for his ears alone.

"Sure." He said. She fell into step at his side as they headed to the elevator to their respective floors. She stayed silent until the doors closed, waiting for some privacy.

"I just wanted to say, Cap," she continued softly. "Thank you."

He frowned completely confused by her words. "For what?"

"For giving me a chance," she replied. "Not many would, considering my background."

"What does that have to do with it?"

"There's a lot of red in my ledger…"

"Natasha-Nat," he paused. "I can't say that it doesn't matter, it does. But what you choose to do with your skill, that's what matters. And I think you are trying very hard to overcome the past."

She nodded eyes staring into space. "Still, thank you."

He smiled slightly. "You're welcome." The ding of the door opening on his floor forestalled any other conversation. "Good night, Natasha. Sleep well."

"Good night, Cap. You too." She answered as the door closed behind him.

**Steve laid the sketch pad on the small desk inside their suite of rooms. He knew that Bruce would make certain Tony came to bed in a little bit. He crossed to their bed and sat on the edge of it. His hand now hurt like it was on fire and he massaged the palm trying to relieve the pain. He could hear Tony talking to Bruce in the hall and as the door opened, he stopped the massage.**

**"Hey, how are you feeling really?" he asked his lover tenderly.**

**"Like a three day hangover without the party." Tony groused as he stripped out of his tee.**

**"How can I help?"**

**"Just…" Tony flopped on the bed with a groan. "Turn off the lights and lay down."**

**Steve smiled and did as ordered.**

**Coda Three**

It was two months later when someone finally noticed that something was wrong. The team was, as usual, neck deep in bad guys. For once it wasn't Doom and his little toys; this time it was just a generic moron with visions of grandeur. At least that's what Tony called him; to Fury it was enough of a threat to life and limb that he felt the Avengers were called for. Not that it mattered; all that mattered was that he be stopped before more people were injured.

It was the Cap who noticed the wrongness. Missed targets and slow reaction times; things his team were not known for. As he dodged another group of the odd cyborg-like attack dogs, his worry grew. **For every dog he hit, he missed four. He ****_never_**** missed. The weight of his shield was almost intolerable as he picked it up from the street. Pain flared from his wrist up to his shoulder making him groan and bite his lip. **This was _not _normal.

**The longer the fight took, the worse he felt. The pain was making him slow, sluggish and it was getting more and more difficult to move. A dog launched at him and he barely managed to knock it to the ground; the impact on the shield though dropped him to his knees. He was relieved that the dog didn't move because right now? He wasn't certain he could kill it. He could hear Tony over the comm and let the sound of his lover's voice ground him as he struggled back to his feet. The only bright side in this was that the team was distracted and hadn't noticed his difficulty.**

After the last dog was dispatched and the last of the civilians accounted for, he tapped his com; signaling Bruce.

"Bruce?" he asked softly. "I need to speak with you."

"Sure thing Cap, what's up?" Bruce replied, his voice a little preoccupied.

"Not now, privately."

"Aw, Spangles, you don't wanna share?" Tony interrupted.

"Not now Stark," he said exasperated. Tony had been keeping a running commentary on everything since they'd hit the ground.

"Fine. Far be it from me to crash your little love fest. Something you wanna tell us, there Brucey? I'm not the jealous type ya know. I will share."

"Geez, Tony, thanks for that visual." Clint groaned as he rappelled down from his perch.

"Anytime, Feathers. You're more than welcome to join in…"

"Only if I can watch," Natasha interrupted. "But I happen to know Clint doesn't like an audience."

"You don't say?" Tony landed next to her flipping his visor open. "And care to share how you know that?" She just smirked at him.

Bruce waited until they were in the jet, Tony distracted by Natasha's comment, desperately trying to get her to divulge the root of her knowledge. Clint was piloting the jet, and while normally Tony would just use the suit, Natasha had succeeded in keeping him with them for the debrief.

"What did you want to talk to me about, Steve?"

"I think there's something wrong with-" **he paused, glancing to where Tony was cajoling, pleading with Natasha to share the details. Tony met his eyes and winked slowly, blowing a kiss his way. "Me."**

**"What do you mean? Are you injured?" Bruce asked concern lighting his face. His eyes roved over Steve looking for injuries.**

**"Not exactly." He dropped his head and described what happened during the fight. Bruce frowned.**

**"I can do some tests when we get back…" Steve shook his head, looking pointedly at Tony. "Gotcha, its time for physicals, I can do them then and he'll never know." Bruce frowned. "But Steve, if something is wrong, you really need to tell him."**

**"I will. ****_If there is _****something wrong."**

**Coda Four**

It was easy enough to run the tests. The team was up for physicals anyway; and since Bruce was their "doctor" he just added an extra blood draw to the usual range. When the first test came back positive, he ran it again. And again. By the fourth time, with the same result, there was no doubt left. He dropped his head, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers.

**"Jarvis?"**

**"Yes, Dr Banner?"**

**"I want you to pull up every record that you can find on Steve Rogers, Dr. Erskine and Project Rebirth."**

**"Sir, most of that information is currently in my data base."**

**"I know, but I also know that SHIELD has documents that they haven't handed over. I need those as well Jarvis. Pull my files too. I also want you to track down any and all of Steve's past medical records that you can find."**

**"Very good, Sir. Shall I inform you when the search is completed?"**

**"Yes, Jarvis." **With a heavy sigh, he stood, picking up the sheaf of test results. This was not going to be easy, he knew. But it had to be done. He headed up from the lab, to the main part of the house. _Might as well get this over with,_ he thought. **"Oh and Jarvis?"**

**"Sir?"**

**"I want the test results encrypted as well as the information that you find."**

**"To what level, Sir?"**

**"Tony-proof, Jarvis. I want the encryption Tony-proof."**

**"Understood. Encrypting now."**

He knew where they were of course; both had made their intention of a little private time well known. It was rather cute, and heartwarming, the devotion they shared. He really didn't want to do this; not now and most certainly not to them. Yet they both needed to know. He'd leave informing everyone else to them. He knocked discreetly on the door.

"I've got the results back," he said without preamble when the door opened.

"And?" **Steve said softly.**

**"What results?" Tony looked curiously at Bruce, who merely cocked his head at Steve.**

**"I asked Bruce to run a few extra tests that's all."**

"We need to talk." He said softly. **Steve nodded and motioned him in to the sitting area. Tony frowned, picking up on Bruce's concern.**

**"Bruce, what tests exactly?" he asked. Bruce sat on the sofa and handed Tony the sheaf of results. Tony scowled at the paper and reached for his tablet. He tapped it a few times then glared at Bruce. "Really?"**

**"Sorry, Tony, but I thought you all might not want SHIELD to know this stuff." Bruce took the tablet and pulled up the files then handed it back to Tony. Steve sat stiffly next to Tony, looking at the information on the screen. Tony flicked his finger a few times transferring the files to hologram display.**

**"What are we looking at?" Steve asked.**

**"This," Bruce tapped one of the holograms highlighting it. "Is a blood test from your last trip to Medical." He touched a few of the cells. "As you can see, it looks good." He tapped another hologram, overlaying it on the original. "This is the test I did today."**

**"That doesn't look different," Steve said softly.**

**"No. It's different." Bruce disagreed. He lit a portion of the hologram. "See, this is a red blood cell," and another portion, "This is a white blood cell." And finally the third portion. "Then there are these."**

**"What the hell is that?" Tony asked. The tiny cell was dwarfed by the other cells, easily missed with just a glance. He touched it, dragging it to enlarge. It hung there, a strangely shaped thing, rather innocuous actually.**

**"I have no idea." Bruce said. "I've never seen anything like it before." He sighed. "But that's the problem right there. Whatever it is, Steve, its causing your problems." He flicked through the holos, settling on one. "I isolated some of those cells and did a few tests to see what they were. ****_This_**** is what happened. See, here? I introduced a few normal tissue cells… watch."**

**They could see the cells expand slightly, small tube like protuberances appearing. They began to move through the view, attacking and attaching to the normal cells. With in a nanosecond the normal cell was gone and in its place, another one of the weird little ones floated.**

**"Wow." Tony breathed.**

**"Whatever these things are, they are highly aggressive." Bruce continued. He shut down the holos. "Steve, they are attacking anything that gets too close to them."**

**"But…" Tony stopped, face paling. Bruce nodded.**

**"Yeah, they are killing off all the cells around them and replicating."**

**"But, Steve will be all right. I mean, the serum…" Tony whispered.**

**Bruce didn't speak for a long moment. Steve finally broke his silence.**

**"Bruce?" He looked at Bruce for confirmation.**

**"I don't know, Steve. I'm going to need to run more tests. I've got JARVIS pulling all the files he can find on the serum." Bruce stood. "I think it's been going on for a long time, Steve, given the numbers of those cells."**

After Bruce had left, they sat on the edge of the bed stiffly without looking at each other. Neither spoke for the longest time, not knowing what to say.

"You knew." **Tony said his eyes accusing.**

"No."

"Don't lie to me. He said it's been going on for a long time." **He reached for his discarded tee and slipped it back over his head.**

"I swear I didn't. I thought it was just stress; we've been on alert for months now…" **Steve laid his hand on Tony's shoulder. "I'm serious Tony, I didn't know."**

"Don't touch me. You lied to me when you said you were all right!" **Tony shrugged off Steve's hand and headed for the door.**

"Where are you going?"

"Out. I can't be here right now."

**Steve watched him walk out. He sighed heavily, flopping back on the bed. He knew where Tony was headed; to the labs. ****_Probably going to run those tests himself,_**** he thought. "Damn." He whispered to the room.**

**Coda Five**

**Tony didn't come back that night or the next one. Bruce had run all kinds of tests, during which time Tony stayed in Malibu. He had finally come back, without a word. He just appeared one day in their room, arms crossed against his chest as Bruce spoke the words that ended all hope.**

**"It's the serum, Steve. Whatever is in it has destabilized, creating those cells." Bruce's voice was soft, his posture slumped in defeat. "I can't find a way to fix it, not without the original formula."**

**"How long?" Steve managed to whisper, unable to look at Tony.**

**"I'm not sure. They are replicating exponentially…"**

**"Not long then," Tony said finally. Bruce nodded, excusing himself to return to the lab.**

**"I won't give up, Steve," he said as the door closed behind him. Steve could barely look at Tony, unwilling to face the pain he knew would be there. His mind racing to grasp any possible answer…but he found none.**

**Only the closing of the door again, told him that he was alone.**

**Steve looked at his sketch pad, now abandoned on the bedside table. He hadn't been able to draw in days now, the pain too much for him to hold a pencil. But he reached for it now, ignoring the agony the movement brought. Moving stiffly he sat as the desk. Maybe Tony would read the words he wouldn't hear?**

The paper on the desk mocked with its blankness. The pen next to it entered into the game, laughing along. The words refused to come; the mind overpowered by the new reality it was experiencing. The paper needed to be filled, this was certain. Time was short, far shorter than any of them had realized. Yet, there it lay; still blank. Intellect warred with heart, losing miserably. Tears fell to mar the perfect white sheet. _Fitting_, came the lone thought. Finally the mind kicked into gear allowing the heart to write words full of pain, anguish and love that the mouth could never utter.

_My Love,_

_I've never been good with words; you know that. But I'm going to try. I'm going to try to tell you how much you mean to me. And how sorry I am for what is coming. I've done my best to never lie to you… When I said that I'd love you forever, I meant it. I still do. I'm just sorry that forever came with a time limit._

_I wanted nothing more than to wake up every morning to your face, to see you smile in the early morning light until we were old and grey. When I say that you are the best part of me; please believe me. You are everything that is good and wonderful in this crazy messed up world of ours._

_You took me, broken and bleeding on the inside, and believed in me when I didn't believe in myself. You gave me the strength and love to become the person I am. It was because of your unshaken faith and love that I have managed to continue to grow. What words can say thank you for that?_

_Love, you have done so much for me and asked nothing in return. Everyday you demonstrate your unselfishness in a thousand tiny ways; ways that not everyone notices. It's those small things that make you so very special. From the way you fix Bruce his favorite tea, to the box of hidden chocolates for 'that time of the month'._

_When my time comes, I'll leave this Earth with a thousand regrets. But among those regrets, my love for you is not one of them. The day you finally cornered me and told me that you loved me… that was the best day of my life. Yes, it has been hard; a balancing act between my worry over you and SHIELD; but it's a balancing act that I undertook joyfully. For how could I not love you in return?_

_My dearest, I don't want to say goodbye. I don't want to see the pain in your eyes and know that I put it there. I'm being selfish in this; I want to see your eyes smiling always; never filled with tears._

_But Love, grieve. Cry, scream, wail, blow something up. Don't retreat into the shell that you wore for so long. Please don't pretend it doesn't hurt. Don't lie to yourself. Can you do that for me, Beloved? Can you grieve? Let the others help you… please don't close yourself off._

_Just remember me, when I'm gone. Remember all the good and the bad; we've been through so much together. Remember the love we've shared and let it help you to heal. Wherever I go, be it to Valhalla, Heaven, Hell… I'll be watching over you. I'll be waiting for you. (Just make sure I wait a long long time, alright?)_

_I love you. I think I always have. And I know I always will._

**Coda Six**

"I've never been good at apologies."

"I know."

"Forgive me?"

"Yes." _Silence. In the dark, hands met and held._

"I'm scared."

"Yeah, me too."

"We'll have to tell the others."

"I know. But…"

"Not yet?"

"I'm not sure _what_ to tell them."

"The truth." _An inelegant snort followed that remark. Both chuckled._

"That'll be something new."

"Can we not talk about this right now?"

"We'll have to talk about it sometime."

"I'd rather… just pretend that everything is all right. Just for now."

"Ok."… "But…"

"Tomorrow, ok?"

"Tomorrow is good. We can do tomorrow." _Neither acknowledged that their tomorrows were now finitely shorter._

**Coda Seven**

This was **not** going well, Bruce decided. Director Fury was glaring at them all but primarily at the Cap and himself. The glares he could understand- after all Cap had been the one to break the bad news; and he supposed he earned his glare by not being able to "fix the problem". But seriously, where did Fury get off on the accusatory tones?

"And you're certain, Dr. Banner, that there's nothing you can do?" Fury asked yet again.

Bruce felt the Big Guy stir in the back of his mind. Taking a deep breath, he shoved the Hulk back into his cage. "As certain as I can be barring a miracle," he replied.

"Well, this is a damn mess," Fury snapped slapping his palms on the top of the table. He turned his face to the Captain. "And you all decided…"

"**I'm **off the team, Sir," Cap said firmly. "We've all agreed it's for the best."

"Well, I haven't agreed…"

"Begging your pardon, Director," Steve pulled himself to his full height. "That's not your call to make."

"Excuse me?" Fury spat. Tony shifted in his seat, a smirk forming on his face. Nat and Clint shared a telling glance; and Bruce wished that he were anywhere but here. No one had ever seen Fury quite so… livid.

Steve stared into Fury's face. "I said, _Sir, _that the decision is not your call to make. **_I_** am team leader here. And since it's the Team's safety at risk…" Steve stopped briefly, the words burning like bitter gall in his throat. "From now on, the Avengers will be down a teammate. **Captain America is off the team.**"

Tony squirmed in his seat, interrupting the coming conflagration with ease. "I suggest we start looking for a replacement. I understand Peter Parker is available…. Oooo or Wolverine! I'd give anything to see him and Thor go a few rounds…"

"Two words, Tony," Clint joined in. "Yellow. Spandex." He twirled his finger for emphasis. Tony grimaced.

"Ok, then Parker it is." Fury and Steve ignored them completely, locked in a staring match. Finally Fury dropped his gaze.

"We'll discuss this later, Rogers." He snarled.

"No, sir, no we won't." Steve said softly as Fury stalked out.

"Well, that went-" Bruce said.

"About as we expected." Tony finished.

**Coda Eight**

They got away with it for a time; but luck, it seemed, was a fickle mistress. Soon the public began to notice the change. At first, it was just a side bar, a tiny line in the news whenever they were called out. But that was enough. Rumors began to fly, speculations ran rampant. As with all rumors, they grew until there was a veritable firestorm; all fanned by the public outcry of "Where is the missing Avenger?" **"Where is Captain America?"** The rumors and speculation did nothing to stem Fury's ire. Daily demands for information were made to the Tower; Bruce receiving the brunt of Fury's anger.

It also didn't help, that the steady physical decline of the missing teammate made any action impossible. It galled him to think that Rogers had made the right call to begin with. So, he did his best to stop the rumors, using SHIELD's resources to "invent" missions that would require the special skills of the now "retired" Avenger. Even that, though wasn't enough; and it wasn't too much longer that he was summoned to face the WSC. (He was just surprised it took them this long to demand an accounting.)

He stood there, in front of the view screens filled by the silhouettes of the Council, listening to the President sputter on about "unacceptable this" and "irresponsible that"- his mind clicking through damage control responses. When, suddenly, like a light turned on in a darkened room; he _finally_ understood everything. He thought about everything his _friend_ had accomplished since the team had been put together. All the deeds, the injuries, the sacrifices… and he understood. He glanced pointedly at his watch, making no bones about his sudden desire to be elsewhere.

"Am I boring you, Director?" The President snarked at him.

"Actually, yes, you are." He said with uncharacteristic honesty. "Madame President, members of the Council, my answer is no. No, I will not divulge any more information on this matter. _No_ I will not force my friend to submit to medical personnel for further testing and experimental treatments. If Dr. Banner is unable to find a cure, then- no one can." He stood straight and tall, gathering his trench about him like armor. "Now, if you don't mind. I'm done here."

"You are done when we say you are, Fury!" the President snarled. "If you continue to refuse…"

"What will you do? Fire me? I resign. Throw me in jail? That's good too, I could use a vacation. Whatever. I really don't care." He turned toward the door. "I'm leaving. My _friend_ is dying and I'd like to spend what little time we have left anywhere but here."

As the door shut behind him, he could still here the Council's outraged mumbling and he smiled, for the first time ever, in complete satisfaction.

**Coda Nine**

They stared at each other from across the room. Time was running out for them. No answers could be found; there would be no miracle cure, no last minute rescue. Both felt the burden of the knowledge like a crushing weight, strangling words, and burying emotion until only guilt and pain remained.

**Coda Ten**

The nightly news droned in the background; volume lowered. He could catch words here and there and occasionally, his eyes would drift from the monitors to the screen. The scenes running were the same ones as yesterday, and the day before… just the places were different and the names. Politicians making promises they had no intention of keeping; citizens killing other citizens for whatever reason they felt justified it and oh look, another street riot somewhere. Disgustingly depressing, it seemed that the world would never learn.

The heart monitor stuttered; its rhythm disrupted and his attention shifted once more to the bed. He wasn't alone in his vigil this time. Avengers were draped on every available chair, Fury lurked in a corner and even Thor was here. Heimdall had sent the Thunder God over the BiFrost for this night. Out in the corridors, he could hear the SHIELD agents moving; holding vigil as well.

If any of them cared to look out the windows of StarkTower and to the streets far below, they would see the masses clustered, candles throwing sparks of light against the darkened streets. People waited, praying, singing soft hymns, trying in their own ways to share in the grief that held the Tower in its hands. But none of them cared that much any more. Their focus was on the bed… on the person who was leaving them.

The monitor stuttered again and everyone flinched. The pulse it timed, slowed, faltered… the ragged breathing grew fainter and fainter… until…

"Breaking news. This just in from Manhattan where our reporter, Sandra Kelly is live on the scene of the vigil in front of StarkTowers. We take you live to that scene…"

"Thank you, Jim. I'm Sandra Kelly, reporting live here at the base of StarkTower, where thousands of people are gathered to hold a vigil to honor one of the Avengers. As you can see, StarkTower usually lit like a Christmas tree is dark. The lights went out a few minutes ago, just before midnight. There's no word on what is happening inside the Tower but speculation and rumor has it…" There was a movement behind her and the crowd gasped drawing her attention away. "It seems someone is emerging from the Tower."

The reporters gathered flocked closer, pushing their mikes and cameras through the crowd. Director Nick Fury stood there, framed by the doors of the Tower. Only the light of the vigil candles flickered on his face.

"Director Fury!" the calls started, questions flying fast and furious. He just stood there, face blank, shoulders clenched. Until finally, silence reigned.

"Th-thank you," His voice was thin, strained. "Twenty minutes ago…" he halted, clearing his throat, "Twenty minutes ago…" His voice trailed off and he just stood there staring at the masses. People exchanged glances, whispers… but none dared to speak.

Maria Hill gently moved Fury away from the microphone. "Twenty minutes ago, we lost one of our own. To honor his passing, we ask that you save your questions and broadcast the universal code for a fallen comrade. Captain America is down, repeat… Captain America is down."

**Coda Eleven**

Snow crunched under his footsteps, a few birds flew past to land in the bare trees lining the cemetery. The path he followed wasn't well cared for, neither was the cemetery. It was a small parish lot attached to an even smaller Brooklyn church. Not many people visited here; unlike Arlington, where thousands upon thousands went to _that_ grave daily. There they came to lay flowers, light candles and generally make themselves feel better that they _honored_ Captain America.

Here though, the grave of Steve Rogers didn't receive visitors. No one knew that the small headstone, with its weeping angel, was the marker for the real Captain America. Small, nondescript, unprepossessing… more like Steve than the Captain. Tony had fought long and hard for that… but it was Fury who made it happen.

It was Fury who arranged for the empty coffin at Arlington and Fury who purged all references to Steve Rogers and his Brooklyn background from the files. And SHIELD followed Fury's lead. The agents went to Arlington to keep up the charade, once a year on the date of his passing. But the Avengers? They came here.

Bruce halted at the foot of the grave, shifting his bag to a more comfortable position. He stuffed his hands in his pockets away from the chill air and hung his head. Gathering his thoughts he finally spoke.

"Hey, Steve," he whispered eyes on the headstone. "Sorry I haven't been here for a while…but, its hard. Harder than you think. We miss you. Every day. But I think you know that don't you?"

"I've come to apologize Steve. And to tell you, I found it… I never gave up." He felt something inside him shift, the Hulk stirring; but it was a _gentle, sad_ stirring… no longer the raging monster. "**It was the tesseract, Steve. That 70 odd years you were exposed to the radiation, mutated the serum. I managed to isolate the change and manipulate it to fix Hulk and I. **I haven't told anyone, like I promised. I used it, erased all the data and destroyed the serum."

"I'm sorry Steve, sorry that I couldn't hold the team together. Sorry I failed and didn't find the problem in time… but mainly," he wiped his face. "I'm sorry I couldn't keep Tony… from…" he glanced at the other headstone. "Yeah… sorry don't mean shit does it?" **His mind flashed back to the day that Tony died, not three months after Steve. He still wasn't sure if Tony had intended to get himself killed; or if the bad guys had just been lucky. No one would ever know; but the image of Tony being blown to dust still haunted his nightmares.**

"I don't know where Clint is, he just…disappeared one day. I think maybe he went back to his old life. And Nat? well she's still with SHIELD, I think, I hope. Fury stepped down as SHIELD director about six months ago, I haven't seen him since. Thor is doing as well as he can with all the problems in Asgard. And me? I just came to tell you that I'm moving on. Going to go back to Calcutta for a bit. Don't worry though, Hulk and I will be just fine." He finished his dialogue and waited, listening to the wind rustling in the stark winter branches.

He reached out to brush a bit of snow off both headstones. "Goodbye, Steve. Tony. You boys take care and I'll see you around."

**As he walked out of the cemetery, his duffle over his shoulder, from somewhere on the street the sound of a piano came on the wind. He frowned momentarily at the tune. An old man, dressed in a worn navy pea coat with the collar turned up and an ancient pair of bell bottom jeans passed by; brushing against his shoulder as he did so.**

**"I ****_hate_**** that fucking song," the old man whispered as he passed.**

**_*_**_**Sorry it took so long guys, but the twisted knee kinda knocked me for a loop this week. The songs in this fic can be find at .**_

_**A plate of homemade brownies to anyone who remembers the "Old Man". Dr. David Banner/Bill Bixby- quite possibly the saddest character I've ever known. At the end of each show, he would be walking away, with a piano playing The Lonely Man Theme. I kinda thought it was fitting since our Dr. Banner is leaving…alone… and I always thought that David Banner would hate that song after so many times hearing it. Yah, blame the meds… I do.**_


End file.
